Herbicide dispenser



Sept. 7, 1965 L. w. JOHNSON 3,204,588

HERBICIDE DISPENSER Original Filed Aug. 11, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. LESLIE W. JOHNSON Sept. 7, 1965 w. JOHNSON HERBICIDE DISPENSER 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 11, 1961 FIG.6

IN V EN TOR.

LESLIE W. JOHNSON United States Patent 3,2045% HERBECIDE DlSlPENSERLeslie W. .iiohnson, Molina, iii, assignor to Deere 8; Company, Molina,11L, a corporation of Delaware @riginal application Aug. 11, 1361, Ser.No. 130,882. Divided and this application Apr. 36, 1964, Ser. No.

4 Claims. (Cl. 111-85) This application is a division of US. patentapplication for a Herbicide Dispenser, Ser. No. 130,882, filed August11, 1961, now abandoned.

This invention relates generally to agricultural implements and moreparticularly to implements for distributing granular herbicides and thelike wherein accurate control of distribution of relatively small flowsis necessary.

The object and general nature of this invention is the provision of adistributor that includes a hopper having an outlet opening, such as aslot, across which a. flow control gate is movable. According to thisinvention the gate is in the form of a rotatable member having aneccentric cam-like section so constructed that a relatively appreciableamount of angular movement of the gate results in only a small change inthe rate of flow. By having the gate move angularly through anappreciable distance for only a small change in the rate of flow, itbecomes a simple matter to provide easily observable indices making itpossible to secure accurately controlled variations in the rate of flow,even though the changes are quite small.

A further feature of this invention is the provision of flow controllingmeans of the above-mentioned character wherein the adjustable flowcontrolling gate is in the nature of a flat member having a plurality ofcamlike sections, each with its own indicating and actuating arm movablesuccessively across a stationary sector at one side of the hopper, theplurality of cam-like sections providing for a very fine and accuratecontrol of the rate of distribution.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a novel diffuserapparatus in which the herbicide is dif fused laterally and distributeduniformly over a relatively wide strip of ground. More particularly itis an object of this invention to provide a herbicide diffuser adaptedto receive herbicide from a distributor and to direct the herbicide intocontact with a plurality of diffusing means. Another object of thisinvention is the provision of a herbicide diffuser of relatively simpleconstruction.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a herbicide distributor in which theprinciples of this invention have been incorporated.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the metering outlet and ratecontrol, showing the rotatable gate in one position for dispensing arelatively small flow of material.

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the gate moved through approximately240" from said one position and providing for a relatively large flow.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the line t4of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the material scattering means.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view looking from above toward the bottom of thehopper.

Patented Sept. 7, 1%65 Referring first to FIG. 1, the herbicidedistributor incorporating the principles of this invention is shown asincluding a press wheel frame it) including bars ill and 12 supported atthe rear ends through an axle 113 on the press wheel 14, this beinggenerally conventional single row planter construction. On the rearportions of the bars 11 and 12 is dispensing means indicated in itsentirety by the reference numeral 15 and including a framework 16 thatis made up of a pair of side bars 17 each connected at its forward end,as at 18 to a bracket 19. The brackets 19 are supported by any suitablemeans on the associated planter frame bars 11 and 12. The distributingunit 15 also includes a hopper 23 having a pivoted cover 24. The hopperis formed, as best shown in FIG. 4, with a rounded semi-cylindricalbottom portion 26 longitudinally of which a drive shaft 23 (FIG. 6) isdisposed. The shaft 28 is carried on the end walls 29 of the hopper bysuitable bearing means 31. One end of the shaft 28 extends laterallyoutwardly and carries a sprocket 33 that is driven by chain 34 from thepress wheel 14 in any suitable way. Within the hopper 23, the bottomwall 26 thereof is provided with a discharge opening 36 (FIG. 6), andfor positively feeding material into the opening 36, the shaft 28carries a feed rotor 37 (FIG. 4) that is provided with a plurality ofmaterial-engaging fins 38. Preferably, the rotor 37 is constructed ofrubber bonded to a sleeve 39 releasably held on the shaft 28 by a springpin 41 extending through an opening 42 on the shaft 23. Similarly, eachend portion of the shaft 28 is drilled to receive a cotter or other typeof fastener, as indicated at 43. By removing the fasteners 43 and thespring pin 41, the shaft 23 may be Withdrawn from the hopper, as when itis desired to remove feed rotor 37 and thoroughly clean the hopper.

For the purpose just mentioned, it is desirable to be able to invert thehopper 23, and to this end each of the bearing brackets 31 (there beingone at each end of the hopper 23) are formed with bracket extensions 46that are provided with openings 4-7. A pivot pin 2-8 extends through oneof the openings of each pair of openings 4'7 and through similaropenings formed in the rear ends of the support plates 17, the rearportions of which are provided with open end slots 49 (FIGS. 1 and 5).The front openings 47 receive a releasable pin 52, normally held inposition by suitable means, whereby, after the drive chain 34 has beendisconnected, the pin 52 may be Withdrawn and the hopper 23 then turnedover, utilizing pin 48 as a pivot, to permit cleaning out all materialfrom the hopper. If desired, the hopper 23 may be completely detachedfrom the frame 16 by shifting the hopper rearwardly to carry the rearpin 43 out of the rear slots 49.

Material that passes through the hopper bottom opening 36 by virtue ofthe action of the rotor 37 is controlled by adjustable gate means thatWill now be de scribed.

:Referring first .to FIGS. 2-4, the lower portion of the hopper 23carries a metering outlet and rate control casting indicated in itsentirety by the reference numeral 55. This member is provided with anupper curved surface 56 that conforms to the curvature of the bottom ofthe hopper, and the member is apertured as at 57, to receive bolts 58 orother fasteners by which the casting member 55 is secured in leak-tightrelation to the hopper bottom. The member 55 is provided with a slot 61that extends generally parallel to the axis of curvature of the surface56, and therefore generally parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 28.The surface 56 is also provided with fins or ribs as between which thefeed rotor 37 moves. A stationary sectior as forms a part of the member55 and, as best seen in FIG. 1, extends outwardly from the rear side ofthe hopper and carries indices and notches for a purpose that will beexplained below.

By means of a pivot stud 71 a three-lobed metering gate 72 is rotatablyconnected with the lower side of the casting member 55, the latterhaving a flattened or planar section 73 (FIG. 4) to receive the meteringgate 72, which preferably is formed as a planar sheet metal member. Thelatter is provided with three cam-like flowcontrolling sections 76, 77and 78 (FIGS. 3 land 4) having radially outer edges which progressivelyincrease in radial extent, as will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3. Betweenthe adjacent gate sections a generally radially outwardly extendingindicating arm is disposed. The arm between sections '76 and 78 (FIG. 2)is indicated at 81 and bears the index 1. The arm between the sections77 and 78 is indicated at 82 and bears the index number 2. The armbetween sections 76 and 77 is indicated at 83 and bears the indexnumeral 3.

When the metering gate 72 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 2, inwhich the cam section 78 extends across the opening 61 in the casingmember 55, material is dispensed at a relatively small rate. This ibecause the cam section 78 of the gate 72 covers most of the associatedbottom opening 61, as will be seen from FIG. 2. The radially outer edgeof the cam section 78 that is indicated at 78a is disposed at a greaterradial distance from the stud 71 than the radially outer edge indicatedat 78b. When the edge 78a is disposed at the small end of the slot er(FIG. 2) material is dispensed at the minimum rate, and as the gate 72is then rotated to bring the edge section 78b under the opening 61, therate of flow is increased. In order to provide an index for the rate offlow, the arm 81 is arranged to move along the sector 65 from the pointleftwa-rdly of the index character 10, as indicated in dotted lines,FIG. 2, partially underneath the casting member 55, toward the indexcharacter 30. The edge of the sector 65 is provided with four relativelylong lines or ribs E6 and intermediate half-length lines 37, as will beseen from FIG. 1. Additionally, small notches 88 are provided along thelower edge of the flange of the sector 65.

Referring again to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the radial distance ofthe spiral cam-like edge 78b is substantially the same as the adjacentspiral cam-like edge 77a, and that the radial outer edge of the section77 decreases progressively in radial distance from the pivot 71 from theedge 77a to the edge 77b adjacent the arm 83. Likewise, the radialdistance of the spiral cam-like edge 7717 from the pivot 71 issubstantially the same as the radial distance of the spiral cam likeedge 76a and the radial outer edge of the section 76 decreases in radialdistance from the pivot 71 to the edge 76b.

Thus as the position of the gate member 76 is changed by rotating thesame about the pivot 71, the arms 31, 82 :and 83 serve to indicatedifferent rates of flow and that the rate varies substantially uniformlyas the gate member 72 is rotated from one position to the other.

Material discharged by the rotor 37 through the opening 61, under thecontrol of gate 72, drops downwardly into a downwardly divergingdiffuser 90 (FIG. that is releasably carried, as by bolts 91, on a pairof downward diverging bars 92 fixed at their upper ends to a cross shaft93 that at its ends is connected, as by welding, to the upper portionsof the frame bars 17. The diffuser 90 includes a back wall structure 536to the upper portion of which dowwnardly converging walls 97 are fixed,the walls 97 forming a portion of a generally channel-shaped member 98that is welded to the upper portion of a back plate 9%. The materialdispensed through the opening 61 falls between the walls 97 onto anhourglass shaped pin or stud 99 fixed to the wall 96 and from which thedispensed material falls onto a plurality of other hourglass shaped pinsor studs 1M arranged as shown in FIG. 5, whereby the material to bedispensed is diffused laterally and distributed uniformly over arelatively wide strip of ground. Angle members M3 and downwardlydiverging lug TM are welded to the wall 96 in spaced relation withrespect to the hourglass shaped studs 101 so as to redirect the fallingmaterial onto the studs run. A cover 1% (FIG. 1) is fixed in place overthe diffuser by means of a quick attachable connector 196. Preferably,the center stud 9 includes an extension 1% that passes through anopening in the cover the and i apertured to receive the pin 1% of thefiastener 105. The inner ends of the deflector studs or pins are tappedand the members 99 and 1 51 are fastened in place to the back wall 96 byscrews or the like.

Tabs or detents lid on each of the arms 81, 82 and 83 cooperate with thenotches 88 to hold the adjustable gate '72 in different positions.

While I have shown and described above a preferred structure in whichthe principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is tobe understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particulardetails shown and described, but that, in fact, widely different meansmay be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of my invention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Batent is:

1. A herbicide diffuser comprising: a generally vertically disposedstructure having a plurality of outwardly projecting pins disposed in agenerally inverted V-shaped configuration, downwardly divergingoutwardly projecting walls secured to said structure, the upper end ofsaid diverging walls being spaced laterally outwardly of the apical pin,a downwardly diverging outwardly projecting lug secured to saidstructure, the apical portion of said lug being spaced below the apicalpin, a cover adapted to be placed in face-to-face contact with the outeredges of said pins, walls, and lug, and means to hold said cover in itsassembled position, said means comprising apertured extension means onsaid apical pin, an aperture in said cover adapted to receive saidextension means, and fastener means adapted to pass through the aperturein said pin extension and to hold the cover in its assembledrelationship.

2. A herbicide diffuser comprising: a generally vertically disposedstructure having a back to which is secured in its upper portiondownwardly converging walls, a plurality of hourglass shaped pinssecured to said back wall and disposed in a generally inverted V-shapedconfiguration, the apical pin being centrally located below saidconverging walls, downwardly diverging walls secured to said back wall,the upper end of said diverging walls being spaced below and laterallyoutwardly of the lower ends of said converging walls and of said pins, adownwardly diverging lug secured to said back wall, the apical portionof said lug being spaced below said apical pin, a cover adapted to beassembled over said pins and said walls, and means to hold said cover inits assembled position, said means comprising apertured extension meanson said apical pin, an aperture in said cover adapted to receive saidpin, and fastener means adapted to pass through the aperture in said pinextension and to hold the cover in its assembled relationship, the partsbeing so arranged and constructed that material dispensed between saidconverging walls is diifused laterally and distributed uniformly over arelatively wide strip of ground.

3. In combination, support means, a press wheel for a planter rotatablycarried by said support means, foreand-aft extending bracket meanssecured at one end to said support means, a hopper adapted to receivegranular herbicide material, means to secure said hopper to the otherend of said bracket means, an opening in the bottom of the hopperthrough which the granular herbicide material may normally flow, meansto vary the effective cross-sectional area of the opening whereby therate of flow of the material through the opening may be varied, supportmeans fixedly mounted on said other end of said bracket means, aherbicide diffuser means fixedly mounted on said support means andhaving a relatively narrow upper opening and a relatively wide loweropening, the relatively narrow opening being disposed adjacent theopening in said hopper, and the relatively wide lower opening beingdisposed behind and in line with said press wheel, and means disposedbetween the upper and lower openings in said difiuser to receive and todiffuse the herbicide.

4. A distributing apparatus for a planter comprising: a support for aplanter press wheel, a press wheel rotatably carried by said support,rearwardly extending bracket means secured at its forward end to saidsupport, a hopper disposed adjacent the rear side of the wheel, means tosecure said hopper to the rear end of said bracket, an opening in thebottom of the hopper through which the granular herbicide material maynormally flow, means to vary the efiective cross-sectional area of theopening whereby the rate of flow of the material through the opening maybe varied, support means fixedly mounted on the other end of saidbracket means, a herbicide diffuser means fixedly mounted on saidsupport means in a downward continuance from the hopper and in a closetrailing relation to the wheel having a relatively narrow upper openingin registry with the hopper opening, and a relatively wide lower openingdisposed behind and in line with said press wheel, and means disposedbetween the upper and lower openings in said diffuser to receive and todiffuse the herbicide.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 7,191 6/76Gorham 275l4 156,688 11/74 Workman 27514 1,618,443 2/27 Knight 275-14LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Examiner.

3. IN COMBINATION, SUPPORT MEANS, A PRESS WHEEL FOR A PLANTER ROTATABLYCARRID BY SAID SUPPORT MEANS, FOREAND-AFT EXTENDING BRACKET MEANSSECURED AT ONE END TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS, A HOPPER ADAPTED TO RECEIVEGRANULAR HERBICIDE MATERIAL, MEANS TO SECURE SAID HOPPER TO THE OTHEREND OF SAID BRACKET MEANS, AN OPENING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE HOPPERTHROUGH WHICH THE GRANULAR HERBICIDE MATERIAL MAY NORMALLY FLOW, MEANSTO VARY THE EFFECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE OPENING WHEREBY THERATE OF FLOW OF THE MATERIAL THROUGH THE OPENING MAY BE VARIED, SUPPORTMEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID OTHER END OF SAID BRACKET MEANS, AHERBICIDE DIFFUSER MEANS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS ANDHAVING A RELATIVELY MOUNTED UPPER OPENING AND A RELATIVELY WIDE LOWEROPENING, THE RELATIVELY NARROW OPENING BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT THEOPENING IN SAID HOPPER, AND THE RELATIVELY WIDE LOWER OPENING BEINGDISPOSED BEHIND AND IN LINE WITH SAID PRESS WHEEL, AND MEANS DISPOSEDBETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER OPENINGS IN SAID DIFFUSER TO RECEIVE AND TODIFFUSE THE HERBICIDE.